Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin

MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/. The cooperation spirit that was characteristic of the United Nations when the World War II winning powers created this unique international organization, still exists there, Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said in an exclusive interview with TASS Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.

"There were different shades of that spirit," the diplomat said. "The same is now. But I think that this spirit of cooperation is nevertheless present. It is present among all the United Nations members. And, in spite of all the current difficulties, it is also present in the format of the "five" of the UN permanent members."

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Churkin said that for example, "it was a great achievement earlier," to propose to the "five" to meet and discuss any issue. "And now it is our daily practice," the diplomat said. "So, the ‘five’ is one of the key functioning mechanisms of both the Security Council, and, in fact, the entire organization." "So we have not only managed to preserve this spirit, but in many ways to develop it," the Russia ambassador to the UN said.

Among the UN achievements Churkin highlighted, in particular, a more active involvement in the organization’s work of the UN Military Staff Committee, which comprises military advisors of the permanent representatives of the five UN permanent members. "For many years it has been just a formal body," the diplomat said. "Now we have succeeded in involving it in the real work." Churkin cited as an example of the committee’s effective work the UN peacekeeping mission’s assistance in Haiti, as well as the work on the situation in Mali.